Barlinek

A selection of images of the small town of Barlinek in the north-west of Poland.

Another mid 1960s photograph of the main square in Barlinek, Poland.

Berlinchen in to Barlinek:
- Berlinchen, which until 1945 had been part of the German province of East Brandenburg / Neumark was renamed Barlinek at the end of the Second World War.
- On the 31st January 1945 Berlinchen / Barlinek was captured by Soviet Red Army troops of the XII Armoured Corps and as a result of the battle and deliberate arson more than half of the buildings were destroyed.
- The German inhabitants of the town were expelled after the war and replaced by Poles who, in many cases, had themselves been expelled from what is now Ukraine.

Holidaymakers having fun in and on the lake in Barlinek, c.1974.

Some other things you may not know about Barlinek:
- The World Champion chess player Emanuel Lasker was born in Berlinchen / Barlinek in 1868.
- A railway line once connected Barlinek with Myslibórz and Choszczno. It is now closed.
- Barlinek is famous locally and throughout Poland for the wood panel flooring factory located there.
- Barlinek promotes itself as the European Capital of Nordic Walking!
- Barlinek has a population of around 14,000.
- The Omega class of the Polish Sailing Championships take place in Barlinek each year.

A scan of a picture postcard sent to us by a friend who had a vacation in Barlinek in 1999.